Feeling heard: an uncontrolled feasibility study evaluating a novel intervention pathway for psychosis patients distressed by hearing voices

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) has been the psychological intervention recommended for the treatment of psychosis for the past two decades. However, benefits from and access to CBTp are limited. Responses to these issues have included the targeting of CBTp at single symptoms and the delivery of CBT-informed interventions by briefly trained therapists. We sought to combine these approaches by drawing upon a wider workforce of therapists to deliver a pathway of interventions for distressing voices. Methods This study was an uncontrolled feasibility study evaluating a pathway of CBT-informed interventions offered over a maximum of 20 sessions. The evaluation of outcomes focused on recruitment, retention, potential for effectiveness and safety. Results Of the 14 consenting participants, 11 completed the intervention pathway. There was a large, significant pre-post reduction in voice related distress for the per-protocol sample (Cohen’s d = 1.51 [95% CI: 0.61 to 2.37]. No serious adverse events related to the intervention pathway occurred. Conclusion It is feasible to conduct an evaluation of the Feeling Heard intervention pathway. Randomised Controlled Trials are required to robustly assess its efficacy.